


hand in my hand, together we'll stand

by waitingforaflame



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora and Catra get married, Cute, F/F, Fluff, It's sugar sweet, Romance, So much Catradora, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Weddings, also a lil bit of angst, as a treat, just a bit, major fluff, wrong hordak officiates the wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:22:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24873769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitingforaflame/pseuds/waitingforaflame
Summary: Adora takes a deep breath and turns toward Catra. “I can’t stop thinking about what Glimmer said a few weeks ago. About wedding traditions.”“What about them?”“Well, it’s just we don’t exactly have any.” Adora nestles her fingers into the grass and makes a fist, gently tugging at the blades. “Glimmer made it sound like a big deal.”--Or, Adora and Catra get married.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 125
Kudos: 670





	1. Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this took up my life for over three weeks. 19k!? Insane. Absolutely batshit insane. I was planning on posting it as a one shot, but as 19-effing-thousand words is ridiculous, I've split it up into three chapters that I'm publishing all at once because I worked hard and I can't keep y'all waiting for updates.
> 
> Much of this is based off Reinaeiry's amazing original Catradora song: "After the War". So this fic is dedicated to her, and her wonderful original music. (If you haven't yet heard it, please go do so ASAP.) The lyrics at the beginning of the first chapter and the end of the third are all credit to Reinaeiry.
> 
> Special thanks to Jaquie and Jem who sat through WEEKS of planning and crying about this fic and helped me edit it. Thank you to phyvern for helping beta! I'm so proud of this fic, and it wouldn't be as amazing as it is without them. 
> 
> Without further ado, here is this massive Catradora wedding fic that I have poured my heart into. Enjoy <3

_I used to dream of you next to me_

_But now you’re really here_

_And I wonder if this feeling_

_Is the feeling of coming home_

* * *

With each year that passes, the party celebrating Etheria’s rebirth grows larger, more bountiful, and far too elaborate. 

When she thinks about it, Adora prefers the humble, quiet gathering they all shared on the night magic was restored. Someone lit a fire down in the valley, and all of the Princess Alliance surrounded it. Bow played his lute, Glimmer and Perfuma managed to find something sweet in the disaster of Bright Moon castle’s kitchen. There was singing, stories, and even some dancing, and Catra never left her side. She purred in her lap nearly the entire night, eyes twinkling in the firelight. It had been the start of a new era, one of peace.

Despite her longing for the subtle, more intimate celebration, she looks forward to the anniversary every year. Large gatherings and grandiose affairs leave her feeling tense and anxious, but not this party. This is the only occasion where Adora doesn’t mind the extravagance. 

She isn’t the only one, either. The air in Etheria starts to grow lighter, no matter the land. Festivities start weeks before the actual party, with each land creating their own ways of celebration. It’s the one time of year where Catra is in a consistently good mood and often giddy. There’s even tales of Mermista groaning less often than usual. 

Like the previous years, Adora, Glimmer, Bow and Catra make the rounds to the various kingdoms and lands to engage in the different cultural events. Elberon throws a feast that lasts three days. Plumeria hosts a parade that takes weeks to prepare. The Kingdom of Snows has an ice-sculpture festival, depicting various memories of the war. Everyone wants to see She-Ra and offer their well-wishes, so it’s pretty exhausting on Adora’s part. Still, it’s always a fun time. When the tour is over, they recoup and return to Brightmoon for the main event. 

This year, Glimmer spares no expense and dashes around like a child fueled with sweets. Her restlessness drives Bow up a wall, especially considering that she’s in her second trimester with their first child. Every few minutes, Bow will drag her to a chair and force her to sit and rest her feet, but she remembers something else she needs to oversee and teleports away so he can’t stop her. Catra finds it hilarious. 

Glimmer’s efforts do not go unnoticed; the party is the very definition of magical. Between the abundance of food, opulent decorations and the lively air of cheer surrounding them, everyone enjoys themselves. Adora does too. She catches up with friends, dances with Catra, and even turns into She-Ra a couple of times, just because it’s expected. 

At some point in the evening, though, the magic dims for her. The bigger the celebration grows, the longer the bittersweet feeling lingers. This day doesn’t only bring back memories of Etheria’s restoration, but of Horde Prime too. After the war, there was so much to rebuild, to heal, and take back in their own name. Adora can’t forget the pain he caused, no matter how big the party grows. 

She’s usually able to shove the feelings down and keep them to herself, but this year is different. Maybe because she hadn’t been able to make the memorial ceremony in Plumeria a few days prior. Whatever the reason, Adora pulls away from the party and heads to the other side of the castle, towards the smaller garden. Shadow Weaver’s garden. 

Once there, Adora sits on a bench by the fountain and allows herself to wallow in solitude—just for a few minutes. The fountain’s loud trickle helps to take her away from the memories and serve as a great background to Perfuma’s breathing exercises. 

In, and out. 

“Adora?” 

Hearing Catra’s voice, she smiles. “I’m here.”

It takes a minute for the feline to find her. Once she does, relief floods her features. “You disappeared,” Catra says, taking a seat beside her. “Everything okay?” 

Adora nods. “Yeah. I’m okay. I got wrapped up in my thoughts and just needed some air,” she explains, letting out a low breath. “Today’s a big day.”

“It is.”

“I can’t believe it’s been five years.” She remembers everything about the day, good and bad. There are nights that she dreams about the incapacitating pain and Horde Prime’s green infection, seeping into her skin. Most of the time, she wakes up and Catra is there beside her. Other nights she doesn’t wake up right away, and she’s forced to watch Catra fade away, screaming for her to wake up. 

Catra takes her hand, giving it a squeeze. “We can call it a night,” she offers. “I’m kind of beat, and Sea Hawk is about to start singing victory shanties, so it’s a really great time to excuse ourselves.”

She doesn’t try to hold back her laughter. Every year, Sea Hawk consumes a little too much wine and starts coming up with all kinds of shanties. The longer the night gets, the dirtier they become. “You really want to miss out on this year’s rendition of ‘Mermista’s greatest treasure’?”

“I forgot about that one!” Catra exclaims, tilting her head towards her girlfriend. “Well, now we can’t leave. I need to see Mermista deck Sea Hawk; it’s tradition, after all,” she adds, knowing how gung-ho Adora is about fostering rituals and traditions. 

“Alright. We’ll stay.” The bittersweet taste in Adora’s mouth is all but gone. Catra tends to have that effect on her. “But the moment he and Bow start getting frisky with each other, we’re out of there."

“Deal.”

They sit together, hands intertwined, savoring the quiet under the stars and breathing in the scent of the fragrant honeysuckles surrounding them. These moments alone together are becoming rarer by the day. Outside of their bedroom, it always feels like someone’s with them, or watching them. For the most part, neither of them mind. When Catra needs space, Melog helps her disappear and find a quiet corner. She comes back to Adora when she’s ready. 

Adora raises a brow, craning her neck to the side. Where is Melog, anyway? They rarely leave Catra alone. “Did Melog come with you?” 

“No. I asked them to stay behind and keep an eye on Glimmer.” Catra’s face softens, and she plays with Adora’s fingers. “I wanted a moment alone with you.” 

She looks like she has more to say, so Adora doesn’t respond. Over the years, she’s learned how to stop answering for Catra and give her time to collect her thoughts. The emotional stuff doesn’t come easy for either of them, but they try. 

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking too,” Catra admits. 

Adora notices that a strand has come loose from Catra’s ponytail. She reaches forward to tuck it behind her ear. “What’s on your mind?” 

“Promise you won’t laugh?” 

Usually, she’d make a joke. This doesn’t quite seem like joking circumstances, though. Catra fidgets with her fingers and her tail is restless; this is something important. “I promise.” She squeezes her hand, cementing the words. 

Catra bites her lip, lifting her eyes to meet Adora’s. She waits a moment, and then she smiles. “I want to marry you.” With her other hand, she grips Adora’s old rebellion pin. Adora gave it to her shortly after the war ended, wanting to make their relationship official. Catra always wears it over her heart, like a promise. 

Those words shouldn’t surprise Adora as much as they do. In the five years they’ve been together, the subject of marriage never came up once. She always figured that Catra wouldn’t want a huge affair, so Adora never said anything. She smiles back, bringing a hand to Catra’s cheek. 

Before she can even respond, Catra shakes her head. “Don’t ask me why. I know it’s silly.” She blushes, and her skin takes on a rosy glow in the moonlight. 

Adora shakes her head. “It’s not silly. I just thought you wouldn’t want a big wedding.”

“I didn’t think I did.” Catra ponders the thought to herself. “I don’t know, it’s just… after seeing Sparkles and Bow get married, I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Don’t get me wrong, the whole thing was cheesy as could be, but—” she lets go of the pin, taking a shaky breath. “I want to be your wife. I want us to be wives."

Such simple words, but they send Adora’s heart racing. In truth, she’s wanted to do this for such a long time. Every wedding they attend, she thinks about it, and every time she stops herself because she doesn’t want to push Catra too far out of her comfort zone. Catra’s adjusted enough for her sake already. 

Without warning, she stands up and lets go of Catra, moving to head back for the party. 

Catra blinks. “Where are you going?” 

“I’m going to ask Entrapta for one of her voice-recorders. You’re going to repeat all that and I’m going to save it in case no one believes me.” Adora knows her girlfriend well enough to brace herself for the impact. Within moments, Catra jumps on her, and both of them roll on the ground, soiling their party clothes.

Catra ends up on top of her, just as she always does. “Don’t you dare!”

She laughs, light and airy. Catra’s ears hang low on her head, so she brings up a hand to her hair and scratches affectionately. 

“So?” the feline asks, raising a brow in uncertainty. “Will you marry me?” 

Adora grins. “Of course I will.”

“Just like that?” 

The blonde giggles and sits up, bringing Catra with her. “Did you think I’d say no?” 

Catra has the decency to blush. “No, I just— shut up,” she mutters quickly, pushing Adora away when she continues to laugh. Adora, however, returns in an instant, wrapping her arms around Catra’s waist. She’s been waiting for this moment for a long time, she’s allowed to poke a little fun. Given the loud purring coming from her girlfriend, Adora assumes that she’s in the clear. 

“You’re sure you want to get married?” Adora rests her head in the crook of Catra’s neck. The warm fur nestles against her cheek, and Catra’s quick pulse makes her feel right at home. 

“You don’t want to?”

“No, I do! You have no idea how much I want to marry you. I’ve wanted it for a long time.”

Catra places her hands over Adora’s, her fingernails gently pricking the tips of her fingers. “Then why didn’t you say anything? I would have said yes.”

“Because…” Adora exhales, thinking over her words carefully. “Marrying me is marrying She-Ra. And that means everyone in Etheria will want to be there.” She closes her eyes, just listening to Catra’s pulse. Neither of them particularly enjoy being in the spotlight, but Catra especially doesn’t care for it. Despite her efforts to rebuild, and heal, and atone for the wrongs she’d once done, she always feels like it’s never enough. “I didn’t want to force that on you. I still don’t.” 

“You worry too much.” Catra untangles herself from Adora’s grip, causing the blonde to pout. It doesn’t last long, for she stands on her knees and gives her a sweet kiss. “It’s one day,” she breathes, resting her forehead against Adora’s. “I’ll manage.” 

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m sure we can find a way to sneak off and have a private wedding.”

“Adora,” Catra groans, shaking her head. She pulls away, looking right at her. “You want a wedding. Here, in Bright Moon, with all the princesses and the fancy clothes and whatnot.” 

Adora bites the inside of her cheek and nods. “I do. But if you don’t, then that’s okay, I’ll find a way to make it—” she’s cut off when Catra kisses her again, long and hard. Just as Catra intended, Adora lets go of the matter and just kisses her back. “I love you,” she says, because she wants to. It’s been decided; they’re getting married. 

When they pull away, they’re both flushed. The party roars raucously in the distance. Adora hears the telltale whine of an accordion, which means that Sea Hawk is starting on his victory shanties. People will be wondering where they went, and they should be getting back. 

Still, Adora wants to savor this moment, if only for a few more seconds. “You’re sure?” she asks one more time, resting a hand on Catra’s cheek. 

Catra laughs. “You’re such an idiot. Of course I’m sure.”

She breathes a sigh of acceptance. “Okay.” A wedding. It’s hard to wrap her mind around it, but the reality isn’t hard to picture. All of their friends and loved ones will be there. Perfuma will decorate the Bright Moon gardens. Scorpia acting as the officiant. Catra in a white— Oh. “You’re not going to wear a dress, are you?” Adora asks, raising a brow. Now _that_ is hard to picture. 

“Uh, no. Wasn’t planning on it.” Catra pulls away and gets to her feet, her tail swishing around Adora’s waist as she does so. She helps her to her feet, and arm in arm they start heading back to the party. “Did you want me to wear a dress?”

“Not even for a second.”

* * *

Adora forgot to close the drapes before going to bed; she realizes this when the morning moonlight hits her face the next morning, far earlier than she would have liked. 

With an annoyed huff, she turns away from Catra to glance at the clock hanging up on the other side of the room. Eight thirty. There’s an Alliance meeting in two hours. Why Glimmer thought it would be a good idea to schedule a meeting the morning after the party is beyond her at the moment, given that it’s truly a terrible idea. Then again, Glimmer doesn’t exactly sleep anymore. 

Two hours means that she has another hour to sleep. Adora closes her eyes again, rests her forearm over them to block out the light, and wills herself to go back to sleep. 

It doesn’t work. 

Adora groans in frustration and shoots a glare towards the window. Stupid moonlight. Figures that the one day she has the time to sleep in, her body rebels against her. She’s unable to stay mad for too long, however, as she feels a pair of fluffy arms wrap around her waist and pull her close. 

“You forgot to close the drapes,” Catra’s sleepy voice purrs in her ear. 

“Don’t rub it in.” 

Catra’s laughs and she can’t help but to smile. “What time is it?” Catra mumbles, burying her face in Adora’s hair. 

“A little after eight thirty. We have a couple of hours until the meeting.”

“No,” the brunette moans. “I forgot about the meeting. Who schedules a meeting the day after such a big party?”

“Glimmer, apparently,” Adora mutters. “Move over, I’m turning around.” When Catra lets her go, she turns to her other side so she can face her fiancé and give her a quick peck. “Good morning.” 

Catra hums into the kiss. “It would be good if there wasn’t a meeting. I swear, I don’t care if she’s pregnant, I’m gonna give Sparkles a piece of my mind.”

“Please don’t. Remember what happened the last time you pissed her off?” Catra bristles, and Adora only smirks as she recalls it. After one particularly annoying fight between the two, Glimmer had enough and simply teleported Catra into one of Bright Moon’s many waterfalls and left her there. 

“Wipe that smirk off your face. It wasn’t funny.”

Adora chuckles to herself. She lifts a hand to brush some hair off Catra’s face, savoring the gesture. “I got a good laugh out of it.”

Catra rolls her eyes, but she can’t deny she’s enjoying her fiancé's attention. Especially not when she’s purring so hard. “Whatever,” she brushes off, gazing at Adora, drinking in every inch of her. 

Noticing the look in Catra’s eyes, Adora turns pink. “Come on, let’s go have breakfast before anyone else is up.” When she tries to get out of bed, though, Catra grabs her wrist and stops her. Adora groans and her shoulders sag. “Catra. I’m hungry.”

“You’re always hungry.” Catra gently tugs her closer, and within moments the blonde is right by her side again. “Stay,” she purrs. “It’s not every morning that we get to have some time to ourselves.” 

Even if she wants to, Adora can’t argue with that logic. She melts into Catra’s embrace, letting herself succumb to the sinful bliss of relaxation. Only Catra can bring this type of calm in her. “Okay,” she whispers with a smile. “But just for a little while.” Her stomach growls, emphasizing her point, and Catra laughs in response. She doesn’t waste a moment and kisses her eagerly, laughing again at Adora’s little whimper of delight. 

Hunger temporarily forgotten, Adora kisses her back. They maneuver into their usual position, with Adora on her back and Catra straddling her chest. It’s comfortable, easy. After a few minutes, Adora takes initiative and flips them so she’s on top and taking the lead. Every time she does this, Catra goes wild, and now is no exception. Her tail brushes against Adora’s arms, and her fingernails lightly scratch Adora’s back— 

And then she stops. 

Catra pulls away from kissing Adora. Her face grows somber, and her ears fall. Adora doesn’t realize what’s happened until she feels Catra’s fingers trace over a sensitive area in her back. She pulls away. “Catra,” she says quietly, searching her face. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not too late, you know.” 

“Too late for what?”

The feline sits up and inhales shakily. “The whole… engagement thing.” Five years. They’ve been together five years, she should be more confident in their relationship, their love, than this. But every so often, every time she sees, or feels the scars on Adora’s back, it’s like all their progress— all _her_ progress, disappears completely. 

“Catra,” Adora gently chides. 

“I know, you don’t have to say it. I just…” Catra bites her lip and looks away. “I’ve given you a lot of scars,” she says, her voice breaking at the end. By now, Adora knows what she must be thinking about. All the fights. The battles. Her imprisonment on Horde Prime’s ship, and how she nearly died in his hands. 

Adora swallows, taking Catra’s hand in her own. “So have I,” she says. “Maybe not so many on the outside, but the inner ones are there.” 

Catra’s shoulders deflate, and Adora takes her in her arms, both of them leaning back against the pillows. She gives her a few moments to wrestle her doubts on her own, without interfering. 

When Catra’s ears rise and she begins to purr again, Adora knows it’s okay to continue. “Besides…” she says, pressing her thumb against Catra’s palm. “Not every scar is bad.” 

She holds their hands together in a way to show off the matching scars on their palms. They’d given them to each other when they were cadets in the Horde, a reminder that they belonged to one another and no one else. 

Catra laces their fingers together and looks up at Adora. “You remember that?” 

“How can I forget? I have a living reminder,” she says, waving their hands around and making Catra laugh. It’s true, too. She remembers the worn rubber handle of the switchblade in her palm, Catra's soft, nervous breaths on her cheek. "You'll have to press harder than that," Catra had said. Adora remembers her stomach turning with nerves, her sweaty hand—not the one with the knife—holding Catra's softer one. Truth be told, she remembers most of her interactions with Catra better than she remembers a lot of other things. Adora takes their interlocked hands and presses them to her lips. “We’re engaged. Deal with it.”

Catra smiles. “Okay.” 

The morning moon glows brighter in the sky, splaying light all over the blankets and getting in their eyes. At the moment, neither of them care. For once, everything is peaceful. 

“So, speaking of being engaged… When did you want to start telling people?”

Catra grimaces. “Kind of forgot about that part.” She glances down at their hands and the sourness dissipates from her features. “Everyone will be at the meeting. Maybe if we spring it on them early enough, Glimmer will forget her agenda and send us off early.”

It’s a valid point. As much as Adora believes that Glimmer must have had an important purpose to gather them all today, she can’t deny that Catra’s plan sounds pretty good. A short meeting is a short meeting— more free time for everyone. 

“Deal.”

Catra pulls away from Adora and stretches her arms above her head. “Alright, let’s get some breakfast. I have a feeling if I don’t find Melog in the next few minutes, they’re going to burst in here.” 

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Her stomach growls again after Catra mentioned breakfast, but something comes over her. With a grin, she wraps herself around Catra and yanks her back down into the bed, laughing at her fiancé's surprised yelp. “Just a few more minutes.” 

* * *

“How nice of you to join us,” Glimmer states, hardly looking up from her stack of papers. 

Adora and Catra, both disheveled, exchange a sheepish look and scurry to the last two open seats. Melog trails after Catra, mewling softly before resting at the edge of her chair. They didn’t mean to lose track of time, but one thing led to another and next thing they knew, they were late. It isn’t an uncommon occurrence— none of the other Alliance members appear surprised. Most of them look just as bleary as they feel. 

Swift Wind eyes Adora as she takes her seat. “Are you sick? It’s not like you to miss breakfast.” 

It really isn’t; Adora’s stomach growls in anger, and she does her best to hide it. “I’m fine. We just slept in, is all.”

Glimmer clears her throat. “Now that all the members are here, we can continue.” She shoots a steely look at Adora and Catra. “Despite what _some_ of you think, there’s an important reason I called you all here today.” 

“You mean, other than to torture us?” Mermista deadpans. 

Bow nods, scratching his chin. “It is kind of early for a meeting. Especially after such a… late evening. ”

“My head still hurts from Sea Hawk’s shanties,” Frosta groans, looking at Mermista. “How do you put up with it?” 

“You think I put up with it?” 

Catra rolls her eyes. “Seriously, Sparkles, this couldn’t have waited until tomorrow?” 

Glimmer points a steady finger at Catra. “You don’t get to chime in. You were late.” She takes a sharp inhale and rests her hands on her protruding belly, hoping to calm down. “It isn’t often that all the Princesses and council members are convened so conveniently. This is the first year that Entrapta is able to join us in person, so I thought to take advantage of it.”

“I would have come sooner if you told me there was so much tiny food.” Entrapta’s face bursts into a wide smile. “There was so much to try! And now I have a big supply to take home and show Hordak. Look!” she exclaims, pulling out various canapes from her overalls. The other members of the Alliance shoot her a wary look, but it’s out of love. Or, at the very least, mild acceptance.

“Right. Okay, first matter of business. Entrapta, what’s the report from Beast Island?” 

Entrapta stops shoving canapes into her pockets and picks up her tablet, tapping a few buttons in rapid succession. She pulls up a screen of data that only she, and probably Bow, can decipher, holding it up to the group. “Excellent! Our habitation there is nearly at an end. Hordak and I were able to clear out most of the harmful First Ones tech and collect them for personal resea— I mean, to properly dispose of them,” she quickly corrects upon receiving a rather steely look from the majority of the group. 

“Does this mean you’ll be returning to Dryl?” Bow asks, scratching his goatee and looking rather spent— whether it’s from Entrapta’s constant quest for chaos or the exhaustion from the party, Adora can’t say for certain.

“It would appear that way, yes.” The scientist hums to herself. “Will Hordak be allowed to return with me?” 

“I believe that is definitely a topic of discussion for a future meeting,” Micah adds, breaking the uncomfortable silence from Entrapta’s question. In truth, none of the alliance members have thought that far ahead on Hordak’s community service sentence. Now that he’s actually fulfilled it, the subject of his return brings about a number of questions. “A meeting where everyone is a little more… well rested.”

To the side, Glimmer shoots her father a thankful look. It’s times like these where Adora really appreciates having Micah on the council. She and Catra glance up at each other, and for a second they can both tell what the other is thinking. Hordak isn’t exactly a topic either of them wish to discuss at the present moment; not on such a joyous occasion. 

“Then that’s settled. Moving on: Catra, Scorpia, how are things in the Fright Zone?” 

The two former Force Captains exchange a look and smile. “Things have been great!” Scorpia starts, standing up and nearly sending her chair toppling to the floor. This happens nearly every meeting— having expected the disturbance, Perfuma catches the chair right before it falls and sets it upright. “The council has been meeting every week, and the reconstruction is almost finished.”

“Just now?” Frosta asks. “It took you guys five years to remodel the Fright Zone?” 

Scorpia chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. “Rebuilding isn’t super easy when you have to juggle physical efforts and inventing a completely new system.”

Catra blows some hair out of her eyes. “Plus, Kyle.”

“Yeah, Kyle really slowed things down.” The Alliance members all hum and nod in agreement. No more needs to be said in that regard. 

“Rogelio and Lonnie have been busy with setting inhabitants up into permanent dwellings. Now that the Fright Zone is liveable, they’re going around and acting like a really lam— uh, really _warm_ welcoming committee.” 

Glimmer jots some things down on her papers and then elbows Bow, who’s started to doze off again. The archer sits up with a jolt and shoots the mother of all dirty looks at his wife. Glimmer ignores it, and sets her gaze onto Catra. “And the orphanage?”

“Doing just fine.” The feline softens for a moment and smiles to herself. Adora wishes she were sitting closer to her, just so she can squeeze her leg and offer some show of support— Glimmer all but banned them from sitting next to each other after they first got together. She hadn’t been very pleased at all with their intimate moments, to say the least. She’d said their displays of affection were distracting to the meeting; Adora and Catra hadn’t agreed, but they were outnumbered. Now they sit on opposite sides of the table, supporting each other from afar. 

What Glimmer cannot stop, however, is Melog darting back and forth between the two, offering cuddles and affection. Kind of like their little messenger. 

Listening to Catra talk about her work in the Fright Zone is Adora’s favorite part of these meetings. When the war ended and their space travels concluded, Catra agreed to do community service as penance for her crimes against Etheria. While Scorpia focused her efforts on rebuilding the once terrifying kingdom, Catra chose to help those who had suffered most in the war.

“Will you be needing more supplies?” Glimmer questions. 

In turn, Catra shakes her head. “Actually, we’re no longer overwhelmed with the number of kids. Thanks to Spinerella and Netossa, people are coming to the Fright Zone and adopting kids. I anticipate that by next month, we’ll be able to close the orphanage for good.”

“That’s incredible!” Perfuma throws her arm around Scorpia when she sits back down. “Maybe this means you’ll both be able to spend more time at home?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Catra chuckles, a faint blush covering her cheeks. She didn’t realize the impact of her words, however. Adora smiles back at her, maybe a little too lovingly, and within seconds all the princesses are curious. 

“What did you two do this time?” 

Scorpia leans forward, almost bouncing in her seat. “Are you finally joining us in the Fright Zone, Adora?” 

“No,” Adora waves off. “Nothing like that.”

“Are you both disappearing off to space again? If so, I request that you stop sending us smoochy video calls, they’re really annoying,” Frosta mutters. 

Catra sticks her tongue out at the youngest member of the alliance. “No promises.”

“Guys, calm down. We’re not moving anywhere else, and we’re not going off to space again.” 

Bow raises a brow. “So what is it? You’re both acting… different.” 

“And you’re both late. I expect that nonsense of Catra—”

“Hey!”

“But Adora? You’re always early. Something’s fishy.”

Mermista groans and slumps forward in her seat. “Yeah, my patience is running low, so if you could get to the point soon, that would be great.”

Adora laughs and holds her hands up in defense. She exchanges a look with Catra, and shrugs. Now seemed as good a time as any to tell them the news. Most of the people that they wanted to tell were in the room, so really, it’s a matter of convenience. “Okay, we’ll spill,” she says, wishing for the second time that she was sitting beside Catra. It didn’t feel right making the announcement without holding her hand, or squeezing her knee, Melog nestled comfortably between their legs. 

Before she can even announce anything, Netossa catches on and leans back in her seat with a smirk. “It’s about time.” 

“About time for what?” Glimmer glances between the two. “Adora?”

“Relax, Sparkles. Don’t go having your baby early. It’s really not a big deal.”

Scorpia pouts. “What isn’t a big deal? I’m so lost right now, am I missing something?”

“We’re engaged.” Adora can’t keep the excitement out of her voice when she says it, and admittedly, she doesn’t want to. “Catra proposed at the party last night.”

Exactly two seconds later, the room fills with the excited shrieks of several princesses, one former king, and a very enthusiastic horse and alien cat. Both Catra and Adora are wrapped up in hugs from the various members. Everyone talks at the same time, offering their congratulations, and between it all, Adora sneaks a look to Catra. The brunette simply smiles, and accepts it all with grace. It’s clear that she’s been waiting for this for a while. 

It takes a few minutes for the mayhem to die down, and once everyone is back in their seats, the meeting is decidedly forgotten. Glimmer grins from ear to ear, gripping Bow’s hand with elation. He grimaces, but says nothing. “This is incredible,” she says, leaning forward in her seat. “What are you guys thinking? Bright Moon? The Whispering Woods? We have to think of decorations, and a guest list and—”

“Let them breathe, Love,” Bow cuts in, gently patting his wife’s hands while simultaneously trying to pry off his wife’s grip. It doesn’t work. 

“We don’t know anything yet,” Catra says, scratching Melog’s head. The alien cat had placed itself on her lap once the commotion was over. “But getting married in Bright Moon doesn’t sound so bad.”

Adora nods, tucking some hair behind her ear. “I couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. And we have time to figure out the rest. Given that we know literally nothing, we’ll probably need some help.”

“I’ll do the flowers,” Perfuma calls before anyone else can. 

Entrapta slams her hands down on the table, a maniacal look in her eyes. “Wedding robots! I can build wedding robots who will handle _everything_.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think so, Geek Princess. All I’m saying is there better be a kelp bar.”

“What kind of traditions are you thinking of implementing?” Glimmer asks, interrupting the chatter from the princesses and finally letting go of Bow’s hands. 

Traditions? Adora looks back at Catra, but Catra is otherwise occupied with Melog. In truth, she doesn’t completely understand Glimmer’s question. The whole room stares at her, waiting for her answer, and the last thing she wants to do is look oblivious in front of all of them. 

“Tradition! Right. Yeah, uh, like Catra mentioned, we don’t really know anything, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out later.” 

“Well, okay.” Glimmer readjusts her position and straightens out her papers. “Adora, Catra— again, congratulations, take the day to celebrate. Meeting adjourned.”

* * *

It’s almost funny how quickly the news of their engagement spreads. By evening, it seems like all of Etheria knows. For the next several weeks, people come up to them and offer congratulations, no matter where in Etheria they are. Adora finds it baffling; Catra reminds her that Glimmer and Bow have big mouths. 

“And besides,” she purrs one evening, snaking her arms around Adora’s waist as she gets ready for bed. “This is She-Ra’s wedding. I’m sure all of the fair maidens of Etheria are _weeping_ , knowing they’ll never get the chance to court her.” 

  
Catra’s attempts at humor aside, Adora finds herself baffled and overwhelmed at all the attention. Everyone wants to pitch in, or help plan the wedding in some way. Their wedding, which should have taken several months to plan, is arranged in a matter of weeks. It’s large, but very much them. Even Catra has nothing bad to say about it. She even seems excited, which Adora finds is a wonderful change of pace. 

Still, despite the perfection, Adora can’t help but feel like something is missing. For weeks, Glimmer’s question continually pops into the back of her mind. What had she meant by traditions? Are they important? Is their wedding going to be incomplete without it? 

She mulls it over for what she imagines is the hundredth time, at the worst opportunity to do so. Adora is so preoccupied she only narrowly manages to avoid Catra’s lunge at her. 

Catra smirks, swiping away a few loose strands that broke free of her ponytail. “Careful, Princess. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

“Don’t hold back. You know it’s no fun that way,” Adora counters back, coming on the offensive with the staff in her hand. 

Sparring is a regular activity for them. Nobody understands it; the war is long-over, there’s no need to fight anymore, and yet every week, without fail, the two reserve a spot in Bright Moon’s training grounds to duke it out. Catra insists it keeps her limber. Adora claims that it’s what they grew up doing, it doesn’t feel right not to do it anymore. 

Catra swiftly dodges Adora’s blow, maneuvering around and looking for her chance. It comes in a matter of seconds. Adora’s eyes glaze over, she looks the wrong way, and Catra strikes. Nothing serious, though. She claims victory by grabbing Adora by the waist, tilting her into a dramatic dip. “I win,” she declares. 

“Whatever. You only won because I have a lot on my mind.” Though Adora’s tone is defensive, she isn’t mad. Moreso… frustrated, and not at Catra. 

“I could tell. You’re off your game today.” The two break apart and Catra fetches them two pouches of water. They sit cross-legged on the floor, breathing hard. “What are you thinking about?” she asks after guzzling the contents of her pouch. 

“Nothing, really.”

“Must be something if it’s distracting you from a fight.”

Adora takes a deep breath and turns toward Catra. “I can’t stop thinking about what Glimmer said a few weeks ago. About wedding traditions.” 

“What about them?”

“Well, it’s just we don’t exactly have any.” Adora nestles her fingers into the grass and makes a fist, gently tugging at the blades. “Glimmer made it sound like a big deal.”

Catra snickers. “Glimmer makes everything sound like a big deal.” 

Adora rolls her eyes and gives Catra a swift shove. “I’m being serious. Weren’t you paying attention to what the other princesses were all talking about during lunch after that meeting?” Netossa suggested exchanging jewelry. Frosta was in favor of an ice-cloak. Scorpia didn’t really have much to add in the way of tradition, but she clapped along and agreed with every idea while subsequently taking notes for romantic things to do with Perfuma. 

They’re nice ideas, but Adora wants more.

She doesn’t know why this bothers her so much— it shouldn’t. Yes, neither she nor Catra have any traditions of their own to bring to the wedding. It shouldn’t be that big a deal. And yet, Adora wants this wedding to go over perfectly. It’s her wedding to Catra, to express how much she loves her. This isn’t the time to skimp out on anything that can make their day special. 

“Hey.” Adora looks up at Catra’s voice. The brunette’s ears do a familiar little twitch, like they usually do when Catra gets serious. “Why don’t you talk to Glimmer and Bow? If it’s bothering you, I’m sure they’d be happy to help figure out whatever it is you want to do.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Catra leans forward and pecks her lips softly, the fur on her cheeks tickling Adora’s own. “It’s going to be okay.”

Adora grins, her eyes crinkling into a tender gaze. “When did you get to be the comforting one?”

“Tch, get over yourself.” Catra tackles Adora to the ground, hard enough to knock the wind out of her. “You’re such an idiot.

“Yeah, but I’m _your_ idiot.”


	2. Searching

“I never really took you for much of a decorator,” Glimmer teases as she watches Adora attempt to paint a yellow flower on the wall of the nursery, her tongue sticking out in concentration. A sad excuse for a flower, but she finds it cute. 

Adora looks up from her handiwork, and grins. “You kidding? I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend my afternoon than helping set up the baby’s nursery.” 

“Shouldn’t you be sparring with Catra, though?” Bow grunts, setting down what appears to be the materials for a crib on the floor. “Glimmer, are you sure there’s no instruction manual?”

“Why would you need an instruction manual? You’re so… crafty.” 

“Yeah, but this is a crib we’re talking about. Not exactly in my repertoire.” 

“Look, if you’re that concerned, I’ll have Entrapta build us one. I’m sure she won’t mind.” 

Adora giggles. “Oh, that would be insane. The crib will have laser pointers and a silence crying feature, and… and require a password to get the baby out—” she stops when she realizes the expectant parents are staring at her. “Right, sorry. Terrible idea.” 

“I’ll build it,” Bow sighs, plopping down on the floor and picking through the different materials. 

Glimmer watches him before shaking her head. It really shouldn’t be that hard. She goes over to the dresser and opens it, shaking her head at the organization of all the little clothes. Shirts with rainbows and ruffles, onesies covered in clouds, there’s no organization here. None. Abysmal. She plucks each one out and starts to re-fold, and only then can she turn her attention back to Adora. “So, what happened with Catra?”

“Hm?” Adora finishes putting the final touches on the flower, and declares herself done. “Oh, nothing, really. We called it off early. Scorpia called and she had to go back to the Fright Zone for the day.”

Glimmer folds a tiny pair of light green shorts and places them in the drawer. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Nothing bad.” She smiles to herself. In truth, Scorpia had called because the kids at the orphanage were about to start a sports tournament, and they wanted Catra there. 

“Well, we appreciate the help. Time’s going by so fast, you know,” Glimmer notes, resting a hand on her stomach. Adora understands. It feels like just yesterday that Glimmer and Bow announced that they were expecting. In just a few months, the baby will be here, and everything will change. “Are you sure that you want to postpone the wedding until after the baby comes?” 

Adora wipes her hands on her pants before heading over to Glimmer and gently pushing her down into a chair so she can rest. “Are you kidding? Knowing our luck, you’ll probably have the baby in the middle of the ceremony.”

“I would  _ no _ —”

“Hey, Glimmer… are you sure we have all the pieces for this crib? It doesn’t look like we have all the pieces.” 

“All the pieces are there, Bow.”

“You want me to come help?” Adora offers.

Bow sends her a grateful look in return. “Please.”

She joins him on the floor, and with both of them working on it, they’re at least able to determine the steps needed to put the thing together. It’s mindless work, something Adora sorely needs at the moment. She feels better when she’s able to use her hands and shut her brain off. As a result, it clears her mind and helps her think better. 

Once they’ve got a solid foundation on the crib, she exhales and builds up the courage to share her thoughts. “Can I ask you guys something?” 

“Always,” Bow says without looking up from his work. 

“What’s on your mind?”

“It’s just… the whole wedding tradition thing,” Adora admits. “I feel like it’s a really special thing that we should be doing, but we… don’t exactly have any to follow.” 

“You could visit my dads at the library,” Bow suggests. “There’s probably tons of stuff about First Ones wedding traditions somewhere in there. We could go with you, and help you find some.” 

Adora grits her teeth. “No.” Despite the years that pass, she’s never really gotten over her jerk-reaction towards the First Ones. They’d done so much harm to the planet. Harm that she had to fix. The last thing she wants is to celebrate their traditions. “I don’t want to do that.”

“Why not?” Glimmer sets down the shirt she was folding and crosses her arms. “I mean, you’re a First One. And we  _ think  _ Catra’s Etherian. You guys could have a really cool hodgepodge of traditions that you don’t even know of!”

“I know that I’m a First One. And I know they weren’t all bad people… but I just haven’t come to terms with the bad things they did. Maybe one day I’ll learn to get over it. I just don’t want to force it on my wedding day, you know?”

“Of course,” Bow says, resting a hand on her shoulder. “You should be comfortable at your wedding. It’s your day, after all.”

“Okay, so First Ones traditions are out.” Glimmer hums, mulling over some ideas before snapping her fingers. “Well, technically, She-Ra kind of belongs to Etheria, right?”

Adora cocks her head to the side. “I guess. What are you getting at?”

“Etheria has tons of traditions. You could travel around and talk to the different kingdoms, learn about them. I’m sure they would love it if She-Ra honored their traditions to celebrate her wedding.” 

“You want me to steal the other kingdoms' wedding customs? I don’t know, that feels kinda wrong.”

“Maybe not steal,” Bow suggests. “But you could go and learn about them. If you find yourself wanting to follow one, you can ask permission. Like Glimmer said, it would probably be an honor.”

“Well…” It didn’t sound like a terrible idea. She-Ra is overdue for a visit to some of the other kingdoms anyway, and learning about local wedding traditions actually sounds like a lot of fun. She smiles. “Sure. Why not?”

* * *

“I’m sorry, you want to know what now?” Mermista asks, raising a brow. 

Adora shoots her a sheepish grin, trying to remain neutral. Guess her attempts at subtlety didn’t go as well as she’d hoped. At some point, she really needs to work on that. “You know… wedding traditions. What do the people in Salineas do when they get ma—” 

She’s stopped when Mermista slaps a hand on her mouth, rather aggressively at that. “Do not say the m-word or the w-word.” 

“Uh, why?” she asks, though it’s muffled by Mermista’s hand. Adora hates when Mermista does this. She can already taste the salt on her mouth, and she knows it’ll remain this way for hours. 

Mermista shoots a quick look around them. It’s a calm day in Salineas. She’d been invited to observe their annual water-pageant. So far, it’s been rather fun. The crowd cheers as the dolphins conclude their intricate dance, and with the coast clear, Mermista finally lets go of Adora’s mouth. “He’ll hear you,” she warns. 

“Who?” Adora doesn’t quite understand at first, but when the slightest hint of a blush appears on Mermista’s cheeks, she knows immediately. “Wait, aren’t you and Sea Hawk married?” 

“Shh!” The princess quickly glances around again, but Sea Hawk is nowhere to be seen. “As if. I don’t know why he’s always hanging around, I  _ told _ him there’s no chance in hell we’re ever going to… you know,” Mermista concludes before tossing her hair back. 

“Uhuh. Sure, that makes sense. Very healthy,” Adora notes, turning her gaze back to the next performance. She does not want to get into their sticky relationship details. Not now, and really not ever. 

“Why do you want to know?” An Octopus choir rises to the surface of the water, and both Adora and Mermista clap along with the crowd before the performance starts. 

Adora grimaces. What if this was a dumb idea? And why on earth had she started with Mermista? She should have started with someone nicer, like Perfuma. “Just looking to learn more about Etherian customs, I guess.”

“Hold that thought. This song is my jam,” Mermista says, holding her hand up as she jams along to the choir. It’s a little odd, watching a group of Octopuses perform a hard rock ballad, but it isn’t the weirdest thing Adora’s ever witnessed. And, truth be told, they’re really good. 

When the song ends, the performance goes into an intermission. Mermista leans back in her seat and crosses her legs. “As far as Salineas goes, we’re really chill. Weddings aren’t a super big deal around—”

“Is my dearest Mermista talking about our wedding?”

The two girls nearly jump out of their skin at the sound of Sea Hawk’s booming voice. Adora has no idea where he came from, but now he is right beside Mermista, grinning from ear to ear. “We’re getting married this summer, you know,” he says, slinging an arm around Mermista’s shoulders and wholly unaware of any distress his appearance may have caused. 

Mermista immediately shoves his arm off of her. “We are  _ not _ . I have told you a  _ million _ times—”

“Hey Sea Hawk, what kind of wedding customs do people do in Seaworthy?”

The sailor chuckles and leans closer to Adora. “Only the most noble custom known to man.” He stands, propping up a leg on the chair Mermista is sitting on. “We build a ship.” 

“…A ship? Really?” Adora doesn’t know what she expected, but she thought it would at least be something a little grander. 

“Not just any ship. A relation-ship!” Mermista covers her face in embarrassment as Sea Hawk grows louder. “It takes months, sometimes years to build. A ship worthy of your partner’s love, grander than any ship that has come before it.” 

“Are you sure?”

“But of course. I am an expert on this, for I have built six in honor of my sweet Mermista.” 

Adora snickers, taking small pleasure in watching Mermista yank her chair to the side, resulting in Sea Hawk losing his balance in toppling to the floor. “Wow, six ships. Aren’t you tired of playing hard to get, Mermista?”

“You know what, you don’t get to talk. Three damn years of listening to you moan about Catra-this and Catra-that. You are the queen of playing hard to get.” 

Mermista does have a point. Her words sober up Adora for approximately sixty seconds, enough for the Octopus choir to conclude their set. Once they’re done, she grins and puts on her infamous She-Ra grin that she knows sends Mermista to pieces. “You’re just holding out for She-Ra, aren’t you?” 

The water princess guffaws. “I dreamt that  _ one _ time. Ugh, I am so never telling you anything again.” 

* * *

“I can’t tell you how excited we are to have you in the Fright Zone,” Scorpia gushes, arm in arm with Perfuma as they lead Adora and Swift Wind on a walk through the gardens. “Did you see the wall of hydrangeas? Who knew hydrangeas could do so well in the Fright Zone?”

Perfuma squeezes her wife’s arm with a tenderness that makes Adora blush. It’s nothing out of the ordinary. Perfuma and Scorpia are always like this. “All the flowers are doing so well, here.”

“Why did you decide to keep the name?” Swift Wind asks. Adora catches him eyeing a few of the flowers and shoots him a look. He backs off with a sheepish grin. “The Fright Zone isn’t exactly a welcoming name, is all.”

“It just felt right.” Scorpia steadies herself before looking around at the environment she helped create. “I could have taken over and reclaimed the Scorpion Kingdom again, but…” she shrugs and grins at them all. “It’s not me. I like being on the Fright Zone council too much to be queen.”

“The Fright Zone has a history. I think it’s important to keep the name, as a reminder of what it once was,” Perfuma adds, letting go of Scorpia and going over to one of the hydrangea bushes. She carefully clips off one of the flowers before going over and setting it in Scorpia’s hair. “I also happen to like the name. Gives us a little edge,” she concludes with a bit of an impish smile. 

Adora laughs. She can’t argue with that logic.”The place looks amazing, really. You both should be really proud of yourselves.” They really should. The Fright Zone bears no resemblance to the place she grew up in. Between the flowers, the light, and the  _ air _ , it’s a vast improvement. Adora feels like she can finally breathe there. 

“It’s a team effort,” Scorpia reminds. “Perfuma did a lot of the decorating, but the whole project would be nothing without the whole council.” 

“Everyone’s made such improvement over the past few years. Did you know that Rogelio is a master baker? He has such a way with cookies, you have to try some, Adora, Swift Wind. Shall we have tea in the garden?” 

“Tea sounds nice,” Adora agrees. “I wanted to talk to you both, anyway.”

“Do you have more of those little sandwiches? Not the cucumber ones, those taste like snot,” Swift Wind cuts in, leading the way to where they usually have tea. 

Adora gently stops him, resting a hand on his nose. “Actually, I was hoping I could talk to Scorpia and Perfuma alone for a bit.”

“Alone?”

“Nothing serious. Girl stuff,” Adora says with a lighthearted wave. 

Swift Wind narrows his brows. “Just because I’m a horse doesn’t mean I can’t do girl stuff.”

“I have a better idea, Buddy,” Scorpia intervenes. “Catra and Lonnie should be around here somewhere. They said they were doing some kind of story-time with the kids. Maybe you could go lend a hand? You’re great at telling stories.”

The horse neighs, proudly throwing back his mane. “I  _ am  _ a pretty good storyteller.” He looks between the three girls and sighs. “Okay. You’ll save me a sandwich?” he asks, glancing once more at Adora, making sure that she’ll be alright without him. 

She sends him a reassuring look in return. “Of course. Just not the cucumber ones.”

“Alright!” With a gust of wind, the horse flaps his wings and flies into the sky on the search for story-time. 

Adora sighs in relief, watching him go. “Thanks,” she says, following Scorpia and Perfuma towards a more secluded patch, where tea is already set up and waiting for them. 

“Everything okay? You and Catra are still getting married, right? Please don’t tell me you cancelled the wedding.”

“Everything’s great, Scorpia,” Adora reassures, taking a seat and throwing her braid behind her. “I came for advice, actually.” She reaches for a sandwich off the platter in front of her— cucumber, of course. She doesn’t understand why Swift Wind hates these so much, it’s her favorite kind. “What kind of traditions did you guys do for your wedding?” 

Perfuma hums to herself with a smile as she pours everyone tea. “There were so many. Plumeria has quite a few. But my favorite was the crown of flowers I made for her to wear at the ceremony. Do you remember that? You looked so beautiful.”

“Of course I remember! It was awesome. Kind of itchy, though,” she responds with a giggle. “I went looking for some of my people’s traditions but, uh, there wasn’t much left behind of them.” Scorpia rubs the back of her neck for a moment and then composes herself again. “So I came up with my own stuff. I wrote Perfuma a song.”

“A song?” 

“Yeah! Bow, Sea Hawk and Swift Wind helped me. I sang it during the reception.” She takes a sip of her tea before raising a brow. “Are you thinking of writing a song for Catra? I can sing a verse to you now for inspiration!” 

“Oh, and I could make a few prototype flower crowns for you, too!” 

Adora sucks in her breath, trying hard to keep from bursting into laughter. It’s not their suggestions that are funny, but rather the delightful image of Catra wearing a wreath of flowers and being uncomfortably serenaded by her terrible voice. She’ll have to save that one for later. 

“Thanks guys,” Adora says, sipping at her tea. “Those are all great suggestions, but I’m just thinking, for now. I want to do something special, you know?” 

Off in the distance, she can hear Catra and Lonnie in what she can only assume is ‘story time’. It sounds far more like a battle reenactment. She smiles to herself, listening to the two of them go at it. Adora doesn’t like to interfere with Catra’s work at the orphanage, mainly out of respect. This is Catra’s space. Catra deserves to have something to herself, something she is proud to say she did all of her own merit. 

“I don’t know why I’m so worked up about this whole… tradition, thing,” Adora admits, more to herself than anything. “I just know that I want to find something the two of us can do that will make the whole thing special.”

Scorpia leans forward and takes one of Adora’s hands. Perfuma follows suit, grasping at the other. “Adora,” she begins, her black eyes sparkling. “I’m sure that whatever you choose, it will be more than special.” 

“Catra’s crazy for you,” Scorpia confirms. “You could give her a rock and she’d probably think it’s the coolest thing ever.”

“You think I should get her a rock?”

“Maybe not a rock,” Perfuma laughs before kissing Scorpia’s cheek. The two continue on, talking about wedding details and reminiscing about their own. While they do, Adora allows herself to fade into the background and continue listening to Catra’s interpretation of story time. 

When Scorpia and Perfuma aren’t looking, she rests a hand over her heart, touching the faint scar that the failsafe left behind. She has to do something for her. Better than flowers, or a song, or a ship. Adora’s not quite sure what she’ll do yet, but she knows that Catra deserves the world. 

She just has to figure out how to show it to her. 

* * *

“Wedding traditions, huh?” Huntara muses, helping Adora to unload the shipment of produce from Plumeria. She picks up a heavy crate and sets it down in the stack by their feet.“Didn’t realize that you and kitty-cat were that serious.”

Adora does her best to keep from smiling. To say that Huntara and Catra don’t get along is putting it nicely. No matter how many times she tries convincing Catra to warm up to Huntara, the feline never does. She thinks it’s jealousy. “We’ve been together five years, Huntara.”

“Five years is nothing.” Huntara unloads the last crate and dusts her hands off on her vest. “It’s considered a fling in the Waste.” 

“Well, we don’t live in the Waste,” Adora responds tightly, closing the door to the ship. “Do you know of any wedding traditions or not?”

“Sure, they exist.” The large woman bends down and picks up a crate, hoisting it onto her shoulder. Adora does her best to keep from staring; it is rather impressive. She attempts to do the same, but she’s misjudged the weight and the basket crashes to the floor, sending a barrage of apples rolling in the sand. She smiles sheepishly and immediately moves to collect them. “They’re nothing fancy, though,” Huntara warns, warily watching as Adora chases after the apples. 

When the last apple is placed back in the crate, Adora sighs and adjusts her grip to pick it up steadily. “I like simple things. What do you got?”

Huntara grins. “Well that depends, Blondie. Who proposed?” 

“Catra did.”

“Excellent.” Huntara’s laugh is a little too giddy for Adora’s comfort. “She has to fight you for your hand.” 

Adora nearly drops the box again. “I’m sorry?”

“In the Crimson Waste, you have to win the right to marry your partner. Whoever wins decides the outcome.”

On one hand, Adora has to admit that the idea is the best one she’s heard yet. It’s certainly different, and entertaining to say the least. Catra would certainly get a kick out of it. Wait, no— no. She’s not fighting Catra again. Not ever. 

“No thanks,” she says reluctantly, huffing a bit as they climb a sand dune. Huntara makes it look so easy. “I don’t think that fighting is the best idea for us, you know, with our history and all.”

“On the contrary, I think that makes things all the more fun. I’d love to see kitty-cat get her tail handed to her by She-Ra.”

Adora pinches the bridge of her nose. “ Huntara, not helping.”

* * *

Adora visits nearly every land on Etheria, but no tradition sticks. When Spinerella and Netossa ask for She-Ra’s assistance in finishing up construction on their cottage, Adora jumps at the opportunity. After the war, she and Catra grew closer to the older couple, Catra especially. If anyone had any advice for her regarding wedding traditions, it’s them. 

“Did you try asking Frosta?” Spinerella asks, handing Adora a few nails for the roof.

In her She-Ra form, Adora palms the nails and focuses on hammering them into place. “Of course. She told me I should freeze Catra in an ice pond to test her endurance.”

Netossa chuckles. “Their play rivalry is strong as ever, I see. No wonder Catra loves the brat.”

“They’re both brats. It’s probably why they get on so well,” Adora teases. “I feel like I’ve been everywhere. People have been so nice, giving us all kinds of suggestions. Hell, Bow and Glimmer spent hours going on about every one of Bright Moon’s traditions. But I just… I don’t know,” she trails off. 

Nothing really felt right. Not like them. No matter how hard she tries to convince herself otherwise, every time an idea sounds remotely interesting to Adora, she feels like she’d be stealing it. It’s not their culture. Who is she to go and take it from someone else? 

Netossa and Spinerella exchange a look. “Have you spoken to Catra about this?”

“This is clearly something that’s really important to you,” Spinerella continues after her wife. She pauses, gives the cottage a glance. “Darling, are you sure you want to go with green? I’m really feeling more of a peach vibe.” 

“Spinny,” Netossa groans. “You need to pick a color. Every day it’s something else. Blue, green, purple, pink— honestly, I don’t care what we paint it. But please, I’m begging you, just pick one.”

The pink-haired woman smiles bashfully and holds her hands up. “Okay, I’ll pick one. Let me go through the color samples one more time.”

“Uh, guys? You were saying?”

Spinerella looks back at Adora and her eyes crinkle in apology. “Right. Where was I… Oh! Yes, importance. Weddings are events that involve both partners. If this is something that’s bothering you, I think you need to ask Catra what she wants to do.” 

Adora huffs, hammering in the last nail before de-transforming back into herself. It’s a simple suggestion, and it makes sense. Of course the rational thing to do is to ask Catra to help her. But Catra… “I don’t know. I guess I’m just afraid of freaking her out too much,” she confesses. “This wedding is already going to be a lot on her. If I start telling her about all these traditions…” She might run off and want to cancel the whole thing completely. 

It’s an absurd thought, and she hates herself for thinking it. Catra has come a long way from the person she once was. She faces up to her problems. She talks through her feelings. She doesn’t run when things get hard, and no matter how ridiculous, she would do anything that Adora asks of her. Like when Catra attended the dolphin social, even though Salineas is hard for her to visit. Or when Adora asked her to bake a cake for Glimmer’s baby shower, and they both managed to wreck the Bright Moon kitchen. 

And yet still, there’s always a small part inside Adora that worries. One slip, and she’ll mess everything up. Catra isn’t the only one afraid of losing her for good. 

“Adora.” She glances up, and Netossa is by her side, hand on her shoulder. “Catra loves you. If having some wedding traditions of your own is important to you, you should tell her that.”

Spinerella joins them and takes Netossa’s hand in agreement. “Having a successful marriage relies a lot on listening to one another and solving challenges together. Maybe Catra has some ideas of her own she’d like to offer in.”

“You guys are right.” They usually are. Adora really shouldn’t be so surprised. She hugs her friends and tells herself to make a point of talking to Catra. 

There’s just one more thing she has to try first.

* * *

This is the last place Adora wants to be.

It takes a while to convince herself to come. Weeks pass. The wedding day draws closer. Finally, she stops fighting it. She’ll try this, and then if she really can’t find anything, she’ll give the whole thing up and just enjoy her day with Catra. 

Adora wishes the whole process was harder; it’s absurdly easy to get access to the First Ones scrolls. She visits Lance and George in the library, and not even ten minutes after she’s made the request, she’s handed every possible piece of literature that exists. It’s weird, reading about the First Ones. The more she reads, the more they seem human. Real. 

Of course she knows the First Ones weren’t all bad. She knows that. Most of them were probably good, innocent people. Her people. There’s just a part of that’s unwilling to accept that, is all. Every time she tries to convince herself otherwise, she remembers Light Hope. Mara. How Mara sacrificed herself to save the planet the First Ones nearly destroyed. How Adora almost lost She-Ra for the same cause. She remembers, and it bothers her all the more. 

What makes it all the worse is that the First Ones have several traditions that are technically hers to follow. The more Adora reads, the more frustrated she grows. It isn’t fair. Of course the one place she doesn’t want to find anything, there’s a wealth of information. Scrolls upon scrolls of First Ones sacred texts, detailing ceremonies, holidays, logs from commanders and civilians. For a while, she becomes engrossed in what she discovers is a journal, written by a child. So innocent, and unknowing of the horrors being committed by those who only sought to take, and destroy. 

She hates herself all the more with every hour that passes. The table is a disaster zone, covered in everything she’s read with little regard for order. How can she even think of celebrating the people that did so much harm? Why does she have to be one of them? She’s done so much,  _ everything _ in her power not to be like them, and yet here she is, trying to hold on to some aspect of her identity by researching wedding traditions. None of it makes sense. 

When the anger bubbles past her chest and crawls on her skin, Adora grits her teeth and tosses a book to the floor, if only to exert some of it. She feels better when she punches things. It’s an old habit, and a bad one, but it helps all the same. 

“Ouch. What did that book do to you?” 

Adora’s head snaps up. Catra stands in the doorway, Melog by her side. When Melog sees Adora, they immediately run up to her side, nuzzling protectively against her thigh. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks, scratching Melog’s head until they calm. 

“I came to get you. You’ve been gone all day.” Catra walks over and slips her arms over Adora’s shoulders, nuzzling up in the crook of her neck. “Bow said I might find you here.”

A sweet sigh slips out of Adora’s mouth. She relaxes, her tension melting away at her fiancé’s familiar touch. “Everything okay?” 

“I should be asking you that.” Catra peers over her shoulder to the stacks of haphazardly thrown books and scrolls covered in First Ones writing. “Research project?” 

“Not exactly. It’s kind of a long story. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m already worried.” Catra’s tail flicks over Adora’s arm, curling around it as she walks around her and sits by her side. “You’ve been weird, lately. We barely see each other anymore. I come home to Bright Moon and you’re off traveling.” Her brow furrows, ears falling downwards. “Even when we’re together, it’s not the same. You’re distant.”

Adora’s expression falls. Even by keeping this from Catra, her thoughts came out into her actions and affected her anyway. “So you’ve noticed, huh?” 

“Of course I’ve noticed.” Catra takes Adora’s hand, squeezing it with a familiarity that calms the frazzled state of Adora’s nerves. “Did I do something? If it’s because I’ve been spending more time in the Fright Zone, I just figured you might want to do that honeymoon thing that Glimmer mentioned over dinner the other day, so I thought I’d try to get as many things as I could straightened out before the wedding.” 

“No.” Adora grips Catra’s hand hard. “You didn’t do anything. And I love that you’re so committed to your work in the Fright Zone.” 

Catra leans forward, resting her chin in an open palm. “So what’s going on? It’s not like you to keep something from me. We’re supposed to be past this by now,” she reminds. When Adora doesn’t respond, she sighs and lets go of her hand, moving to play with some of her hair instead. “I talked to Netossa, you know.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. She didn’t tell me anything. She just said I should talk to you.” Catra finishes playing with Adora’s hair and tucks it behind her ear, letting her fingernails brush against her jaw as she lets go. “But if I had to make a guess… I’d say it’s something about the wedding that’s bothering you.”

Adora bites her lip. “You’re going to think it’s stupid.”

“Probably,” Catra teases with a laugh. Her eyes, however, flicker with genuine curiosity. “I still want to hear it, though.” When Adora doesn’t immediately respond, Catra gives her a somber smile. “It’s about the wedding, isn’t it? You’re having doubts.”

“What? No!” Adora scoffs and gives her fiancé a light shove. “That’s ridiculous.”

“So then stop letting me think of all these horrible possibilities!” Catra exclaims, and Adora has to stop herself from throwing her arms around her and holding on tight as she can. “Just tell me already, you idiot.”

“Okay, okay. I…” she starts, taking a deep breath and forcing the heaviness out of her chest. It’s just Catra. “Ever since we told everyone, I haven’t stopped thinking about the whole wedding-tradition thing. I talked to Glimmer and Bow about it, and the past few months, I’ve traveled all around Etheria and tried to find one that would stick, but none of it felt right.” 

Adora balls her fists, looking down to the First Ones research strewn about the table. “I even tried looking up stuff that the First Ones did.”

“Why would you do that? You get all weird when people call you a First One.”

“I don’t know.” She looks at Catra and wishes that she could explain the turbulence in her head. None of it makes sense. There are so many conflicting emotions inside her, it would take ages to unravel them all. “Even though they caused a lot of damage to the planet… I am a First One. I thought, maybe if I learned more about them, I could take their traditions and make something for the better.” Adora looks down at her hands with a soft smile. “Kind of like what you guys did with the Fright Zone, you know? Recognize all the bad history, but build a better future.”

The words sound better when she says them out loud, and the tension leaves her shoulders. Adora hadn’t even realized that those were her true intentions until she put her thoughts out in the open. Maybe Spinerella and Netossa were right; she really should listen to them more often. 

“Adora.” 

She snaps out of her internal daze when Catra finally speaks, and she smiles apologetically. “Sorry. I know, it’s dumb. You don’t have to say it.”

“The only thing that’s dumb is that you kept this from me for so long.” Melog lifts their head when Catra gets up from her seat and gets comfortable on Adora’s lap. “Why didn’t you tell me? You let this bother you for months.”

Adora wraps her arms around Catra, adjusting their position so that she can hold her more comfortably. “I wanted to make our wedding special for you. Bow and Glimmer’s wedding was so cool, and I know that there’s a lot of things about our wedding that you probably aren’t too happy about.” 

“There are?”

A rush of insecurity washes over Adora. “I mean, I thought there were. Aren’t there?” 

Catra shrugs and takes Adora’s hand, gently playing with her fingers. “Not really.” She smiles to herself and looks up at her fiancé. “I don’t really care about the little stuff. I’m just happy to be getting married to you.” 

She’s right. She’s so right, and it makes Adora feel like a complete fool. All this time, she’s been distancing herself and letting her thoughts get the best of her instead of sharing this moment with Catra. The person she’s marrying. “I’m such an idiot,” Adora groans, slumping down. 

“Yeah. But I still love you,” Catra coos, reaching up and grasping her chin with nimble fingers before pecking her jaw. Once Adora relaxes in her grip, Catra lets go and grabs a scroll off the table, inspecting the writing with a squint. “You want to know what I think?” she asks, burrowing deeper in Adora’s lap. 

Adora smiles, holding Catra tighter and resting her chin atop her shoulder. “What do you think?” 

“I think you should put all this down, and put it to rest. You’re always so worried about everyone except yourself.” Catra brings a hand up to Adora’s hair, stroking it tenderly. “I don’t need some sacred First Ones traditions, or anyone else’s to make our wedding special. Just us, deciding to be together, is special enough. At least to me.” She tilts her head to the side so she can look at Adora. “Is that okay with you?” 

The longer Catra talks, the more of Adora’s stress melts away. Every word she says is exactly what Adora needs to hear. She nods into Catra’s shoulder, placing a tender kiss on her collarbone. “More than okay.” 

They stay like that for a few minutes, comfortable in each other’s embrace with Melog cuddled up by their side. Adora didn’t realize how much she missed her. For so long, she’s been focused on the wrong thing, when she should have been with Catra and savoring their time together. She’ll work on that. Plenty of time to do it, too, once they’re married. 

“Remind me again what is this honeymoon thing Glimmer mentioned?” she murmurs into Catra’s neck. From the little she remembers, it sounds delightful. 

“I will, but we kind of need to get back to the castle.” 

Adora blinks. “Why?”

“Glimmer’s in labor.” 

“Catra!” Adora all but screams, quickly detangling herself from their embrace and already racing for the door. “You waited until now to tell me this?” 

Catra gives a slight cough before standing up, making sure Melog is following as she follows after Adora. “Slow down, Sparkles is fine. She told me to tell you, and I kind of got distracted.” When she catches up to Adora, she takes her hand and keeps pace with her the rest of the way. 

Despite the annoyance, Adora isn’t too angry. She holds Catra’s hand tight and doesn’t let go of it until the baby is born, healthy and perfect as can be.


	3. Wedding

The night before the wedding, Adora can’t sleep. 

Everything is set and ready to go. Her dress hangs in the closet. Decorations cover every inch of the garden and Perfuma has elaborate plans to make everything bloom when she arrives tomorrow. Glimmer and Bow threw them an elaborate ‘night-before’ feast, where they ate far too much cake and laughed when Baby Angel spat up all over Bow’s chest. At Glimmer’s insistence, she and Catra parted for the evening. 

“It’s tradition,” she said, already pulling Catra away before either of them could argue. 

So now she’s alone. Alone, and unable to sleep. Adora doesn’t sleep well without Catra curled up by her side. She never has. Without Catra to distract her, thoughts run rampant in her mind. Were all the guests going to make it on time? Would they even fit into the gardens? Glimmer assured her, several times in fact, that they will, but obviously she can’t know for sure until they try it tomorrow. 

What if Catra sleeps through the ceremony and misses it? What if she gets sick? Adora certainly feels sick. Her heart races, she’s sweaty and clammy and god she hates just lying here, waiting— 

The door creaks open. An all too familiar head pokes their head in, mismatched eyes glowing in the darkness. Not even a moment later, Catra shuts the door behind her and leaps onto the bed, knocking the wind out of Adora’s chest. 

“Catra,” she exhales, trying to steady her breathing with a feline on her chest. 

“Hey, Adora. Miss me?” 

Adora sits up.“What are you doing here? The wedding night isn’t until tomorrow, dummy,” she teases, unable to help the smile blooming on her face. 

Catra rolls her eyes. “I know that.” Her hair is out of its usual ponytail and fans out in a thick ferocity around her head. Adora bites her lip, trying to keep from burying her hands in it and pulling her into an intense kiss. Instead, she rests her hands on Catra’s hips; it’s safer, but not by much. “I couldn’t sleep. Did I wake you?”

“No. I couldn’t sleep either.” 

“Good, I had an idea.”

“An idea, huh?” Adora smirks and does as she’s told, leaning back down against her pillows. “Pretty lame way to say you just wanted to spend the night together.”

“It’s not that kind of an idea, genius. Just… trust me, okay?” 

Intriguing. Adora really did think that they were about to have some fun and destress before their big day. “Always,” she responds. 

Catra kisses her quickly and takes her hand, pulling her out of the bed. Adora pouts at the brevity of the kiss, but she says nothing and allows Catra to drag her out of their bedroom. 

“Where are we going?” Adora hisses, trying her best not to fall when Catra pulls her in a different direction. She doesn’t receive an answer, other than a hurried ‘shh!’. It almost feels like they’re children again, hand in hand racing through the halls of the Fright Zone, trying not to get caught. Whether or not this is a part of Catra’s plan, Adora appreciates it all the same. Ducking in abandoned hallways, trying to avoid the Bright Moon guards, Catra’s laughter echoing in her ears… it feels like home. 

After a few minutes of terrible sneaking, they reach the door to the gardens. Without a second thought, Catra throws the door open and leads Adora towards their sparring area. No one will bother them there. Not at this hour. 

“Needed some air,” Catra explains, letting go of Adora’s hand and collapsing on the grass. “Feels so much better out here. Less stuffy.”

“I thought it was just me,” Adora says, relieved at the cool air that wafts against her face. When she feels like she can breathe again, she glances at Catra and smiles. “Can you believe that tomorrow, we’ll be married?” 

“Feels weird,” Catra agrees. Under the night sky, the moonlight washes over her features and illuminates them. Adora likes her best, like this. Soft, and open. Truly vulnerable only for her to see. She leans forward and kisses her sweetly, wondering to herself why she let Glimmer separate them. Tradition or not, this feels right. She can’t imagine not spending the night before their wedding together. 

After a restful silence, Catra sits up and crosses her legs. “I know how much having wedding traditions means to you,” she starts. “And even though you say you’re fine, it bothers you that we aren’t following any.” When Adora starts to protest, Catra holds up a hand with a knowing smile. “I know you.”

Adora frowns, but she doesn’t argue. “What happened to letting it go and deciding to just enjoy the day together?”

“Maybe if you stop interrupting me,” Catra scolds, affectionately poking Adora’s forehead. “You’ll find out. I went and did some of my own research, and now we’re going to make our own tradition.” 

“Catra, you can’t just go and make up your own traditions. It doesn’t work like that.”

If her words bother Catra, she doesn’t let on. Instead she just scoots closer, tail flicking affectionately against her leg. “Sure it does. I mean, if you don’t  _ want _ to, that’s a different story.” With a dramatic sigh, she falls backwards on Adora’s lap, staring up into her eyes. “I’ll just go back to my bedroom. Alone. And leave you here, wondering about the really sappy thing I had planned.”

The ridiculousness of it all makes Adora smile. That’s Catra, alright. “Don’t you dare,” she murmurs, brushing some of Catra’s bangs off her forehead. “I want you here with me. Now what sappy thing did you plan?” 

Catra sits up again, ears high on her head and eyes glinting with impish pleasure. “I did my own research. Bribed Entrapta, took Melog and went back to the library. Found a bunch of stuff on the First Ones. Even learned some things about the Magicats.”

“You did?” 

The feline purrs in delight, inching closer to Adora so that she’s sitting right in front of her. “Did you know that they have ceremonies where they show off scars? They don’t hide them, it’s like a thing to be celebrated.”

“That’s incredible.”

“Right? Anyway, so after I found that stuff out, I looked into some of the First Ones stuff with Entrapta’s help, and learned way too much about their bizarre rituals. But one of them didn’t sound too bad. There was one, when a couple gets together, they do the whole vow thing we’re supposed to do tomorrow, but way more in depth and personal. Kind of like a promise ceremony.” 

Adora holds back a snort. “A promise ceremony?”

“I wish I was making this up. And then, on the way back to the castle, I talked to Melog. They told me that on Krytis, the night before a couple was to get married, the entire community would go outside to map the stars and determine their fate.” 

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?” Adora snickers, playfully resting a palm on Catra’s forehead. “Mapping stars? Promise ceremonies? You’re not making any sense."  


Catra smacks her hand away and rolls her eyes. “Shut up. You wanted a wedding tradition, we’re making up one of our own.” With that said, she strips off her shirt, sitting only in her undergarments and sleep shorts. 

“I hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure making love isn’t a wedding tradition,” Adora notes, though per usual, she has a hard time tearing her eyes away from Catra’s body. 

“Will you stop talking for like five seconds?” Catra takes Adora’s hands and laces them with her own. “That’s not what we’re doing. At least, not right now.”

“Then what are we doing? You’re not making any sense.”

“We’re going to map out our scars, and use them to move forward and make promises for our future.” A strand of hair falls in Catra’s eyes. She tucks it behind her ear before Adora has a chance to do it for her. “What do you think?”

For once, she doesn’t have any thoughts. So she just nods, squeezing their interlocked hands before sliding the straps of her shirt off so the scars on her back are in full view. “Yeah,” she breathes. “Let’s do that. How do we start?”

“I don’t know.” Catra looks down to their hands and smiles. “Remember the first scars we gave each other?” 

She does. It’s on the palms of their hands. A finger length distance down from their thumbs, they both sport matching pale cross marks. 

“One for you, one for me,” Catra repeats, just as she’d said back then. 

“So we’ll always have a part of each other, even when we’re separated. I remember.” Adora remembers how much it hurt, but she smiled through the tears and bore the cut with pride. Back then, Catra would freak out at the mere mention of blood, but she’d tolerated this one without so much a squirm. “I think I loved you, even back then.”

“We were just kids, Adora,” Catra retorts. 

“Maybe not romantically, yet, but I did. You were my best friend, and I would have done anything to protect you,” she says, and she means it. Catra looks away, and Adora understands the unspoken meaning behind her action. She hadn’t protected her. Not when she’d left the Horde. “I’m sorry,” she says, leaning forward and resting her forehead against Catra’s. “I know I didn’t protect you back then.”

“I needed to learn how to protect myself.” Catra squeezes her hands hard, and she lets out a deep sigh before nuzzling Adora’s forehead. “I tried not to love you, when we were fighting. There were so many feelings that I just shoved down and didn’t acknowledge. I thought if I just… if I made you feel the same pain that I was feeling, I would feel better.”

Adora nods, bringing her hand up to Catra’s head so she can scratch at the base of her ears. It’s been a while since they talked about this. After the war, they used to stay up all night, learning how to talk to each other again. It feels good to bring it out into the open again before they get married. 

“I promise that I won’t hurt you like that again,” Catra states, pulling away from their forehead touch and moving to kiss the scar on Adora’s hand. “Not ever.”

Any other day, Adora would reassure her that she knows. But since they’re making promises to one another, she lets Catra say her piece and doesn’t refute. “Thank you.” She thinks for a moment before smiling, still scratching Catra’s head. “Not all of these promises have to be heavy, you know. This,” she says, waving their hands, “is a happy scar. So, I’ll make you a happy promise. I promise that we’ll have fun together. We’ll laugh, and smile, and joke around, and be complete idiots if we have to.” 

Catra’s laugh is worth every corny word. “That doesn’t sound so bad,” she says, before pointing out a scar that Adora gave herself when they were cadets, acting dumb and thinking they were on top of the world. That’s how they spend the evening, pointing out various scars and sharing stories of how they got them, figuring out how to make promises to each other for their future together. 

When the color of the sky changes to dark purple, they go back to bed. Neither of them are tired, though. They continue their little tradition, making ridiculous promises until Adora finds a scar on Catra’s thigh that they hadn’t yet talked about. “What’s this one from?” 

Catra yanks down the hem of her shorts, the smile disappearing off her face. “We don’t need to talk about that one.” 

It takes Adora a while to understand, but when she does, she sombers and places a hand over the scar, squeezing firmly. “You’re not that person anymore.”

“I’ve hurt people. So many people.” Catra takes a finger and places it on Adora’s back, feeling around for the deep scars. Once she finds them, her breath catches in her throat, and she has to swallow away the thick lump that forms. “Sometimes I feel like it doesn’t matter what I do. The community service, building the orphanage, being part of the alliance… none of it changes what I’ve done.” 

“Stop.” Adora cups Catra’s face in her hands, shaking her head. “I don’t like it when you talk like that. You have grown and changed so much in the past few years. I’ve seen you take steps to better yourself. When I say that you’re not that person anymore, I’m not doing it to spare your feelings, Catra.” 

As Adora speaks, tears well in Catra’s eyes. Instead of wiping them away, she clutches Adora’s back, nodding. 

“I promise that you’re worth more than what you’ve done in the past,” Adora says softly, pecking her forehead. “You’re worth so much more than that. You’re my everything.”

Catra lifts her head and swallows. “You are too. I promise that I’m going to try to be better. Every day.” 

Adora rolls her eyes and kisses her, relishing the soft squeak that Catra gives when she does. “Now who’s being the idiot?”

The room grows brighter as the morning moon makes its appearance. Adora, ever the responsible one, stops kissing her first. “We should probably get some sleep. Long day ahead of us.” 

“Yeah. Long day,” Catra agrees, turning around so her back is against Adora. She wipes away any lingering tears, and she grins to herself. “Hey, you know what I just realized?” 

Adora wraps her arms around Catra, pulling her close and closing her eyes. “What’s that?” she mutters into her hair.

“I get to start calling you my wife today.” 

“Can’t wait,” she says, because she can’t. 

* * *

A few hours later, Glimmer’s shrill voice and insistent knocks on the bedroom door wake them both up. 

“Adora!” A few more knocks. “Did you have to pick today as the one day you decide to sleep in? Come on, up! It’s your wedding day, we have things to do!”

The blonde groans. She’s so tired. It feels like she’d been asleep for barely ten minutes. “I'm awake,” she calls out, her voice heavy with the lingering desire to sleep. Catra shifts in her arms and she remembers that they were supposed to be apart for the night. “Don’t come in!” 

An aggravated sigh follows.“I’m giving you exactly five minutes to get up and dress before I teleport in there, but only because I hear Angel crying. When I come back, Catra better be in her  _ own _ room, or so help me, both of you are on babysitting duty forever.” 

“Ooh, scary,” Catra purrs into Adora’s arm. “We’re in trouble with the Queen.” 

“When are we not in trouble with the Queen?” In the meantime, she has about two and a half more minutes to spend alone with Catra, and she isn’t planning on wasting a second of them. “Good morning,” she hums as Catra rolls over so they’re face-to-face. “Big day, today.” 

“Is it?” Catra smirks and grabs a strand of Adora’s hair in between her fingers, running her fingernails through it. “I don’t recall.” 

“Then let me remind you.” Adora tugs her closer, holding herself so her mouth is mere centimeters away from Catra’s. “Today’s the day I make you mine.” 

Catra closes the distance first, giggling into the kiss. “I look forward to it.” She kisses Adora again before pulling away entirely. “I should go before Glimmer comes back in here.”

“What?” Adora’s cheeks flush with the intensity of their morning kisses. “Don’t go. We have time. I’m sure Angel will keep her busy for at least ten more minutes.” 

“You’re cute when you’re needy.” Catra brushes back Adora’s hair from her face, giving her one last kiss and then climbing off the bed. “I think I told Netossa I’d stop by for breakfast so she can help me finish my vows. Plus, I’m not well-rested enough to put up with Glimmer’s wrath today.”

Adora sighs, but she sits up anyway and stretches out her arms. “Fair enough. I’ll see you later?” 

“I’ll be the one in white.” 

“Catra, we’ll both be in white.” 

With a wink, Catra slips out of the room, closing the door behind her. 

* * *

Around lunchtime, Bow invites Adora to take a walk with him in the Whispering Woods. It’s a much-needed break. After Catra left, Glimmer pulled her right into hosting duties, which included greeting all the guests trickling into Bright Moon, going over final details, and doing one last fitting for her dress. Between running around all day and the lack of sleep from the night before, she’s wholly grateful for the distraction. 

“How are you feeling?” Bow asks, holding away a branch so that he and Adora can duck under it. “I remember being a wreck on our wedding day. So much was going on, it was hard to wrap my mind around everything.” 

She climbs over an assortment of rocks, smiling a bit to herself. That’s Bow, always so concerned about them. “I remember. You and Glimmer were both running around all over the place, Catra and I had to force you both to sit down for a minute and breathe.” She’d been assigned to Bow, and Catra to Glimmer. She wonders if Glimmer is repaying the favor to Catra now, and making sure she’s okay. Odds are, she’s probably chasing her around the castle, trying to get her to sit down so that Glimmer can fix her hair. “I’m kind of tired, but okay. Actually, better than okay. I’ve been waiting for this day a long time.” 

“No nerves?” 

“None. I thought I’d be all over the place, what with everything going on. But I’m not. Believe it or not, I actually feel at peace. Is that weird?” 

Bow shakes his head and rests a hand on Adora’s shoulder. “Nah. Like you said, you’ve been waiting for this day a long time.” He removes his hand and they continue walking, making a short circle so that they can return to the castle before anyone thinks they’ve gone missing. “So, what were you and Catra up to last night?” 

“Who says we were up to anything?”

The archer laughs and shoots her a look. “I was up feeding Angel and heard you both scurrying around. You really need to get better at sneaking.” 

“We’re out of practice.” Adora sighs and a dopey smile crosses her face. As far as wedding traditions went, last night was perfect. She wouldn’t trade it for anything. “Just making the most of the night before we get married.” 

“Do I want to know?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking.” She’s not surprised, though. Bow and Glimmer have walked in on them getting intimate far too many times for it to be considered funny. There’s a reason why Glimmer refuses to teleport into their bedroom anymore. “We were just making up our own wedding tradition, is all.” 

“So no more searching, huh?”

“Yeah. No more searching. I like what we have.” 

“Well, I hope you’ll allow me to follow one of my family’s traditions.” Bow stops walking and reaches into the satchel he’s carrying it. From it, he pulls out a golden diadem with a ruby in the center. “I know you don’t like gifts, but I hope that you’ll make an exception for this one.”

Adora’s throat grows tight as she stares at the beautiful tiara. “Bow, it’s too much.”

“No, it’s just enough.” He places the tiara in her hair, tears lining his eyes. “In my family, we mark important milestones with sentimental gifts. I thought a long time about what to make for you, and then it hit me.” Bow touches the diadem and gives Adora a cheeky smile. “It’s right where we started. You, in a tiara.” 

Any composure Adora had immediately flies out the window. She throws her arms around Bow, trying hard to keep the tears from falling. “I love it. What did you make for Catra?” 

“A ring. So she’ll always know that we’re there, holding her hand.” 

“That is so cheesy!” She attempts to nudge Bow in the side, but he expertly dodges with a laugh. 

“You really are out of practice,” he chortles before swinging an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Glimmer’s going to kill me if she notices you’re gone.” 

Adora removes the diadem and holds it tight in her hands, inspecting it closely as they head back to the castle. “Thank you, Bow. It’s beautiful.” 

“Well, so are you. You deserve every happiness today. Now, if you don’t stop talking, I’m going to cry, and then you’re going to cry, and we’re both going to miss everything.”

“Not a chance. Glimmer won’t let that happen.” 

* * *

“Alright, Bow’s with the baby and for the next hour, I am completely yours,” Glimmer announces, closing the door to Adora’s bedroom behind her after she enters. 

“If you’re with me, who’s with Catra?” Adora wonders, stepping out of the tub and wrapping herself in a fluffy purple towel. She finds it a little ridiculous that they’re not getting ready together. They’ll be walking each other down the aisle anyway, so what’s the whole point in separating them? 

“Scorpia. Spinerella and Netossa too, I think. They were there when I left, anyway.” 

Adora smirks, grabbing another towel and drying out her hair. “Look at you, splitting your friend duties between the two of us. I’m impressed.” 

“Ha ha. Give me that,” Glimmer says, taking the towel from Adora and doing a far better job at wringing out the water from her hair. It’s cute how motherly she is lately. “She looks beautiful, you know. And she’s in a really good mood, she let me brush the knots out of her hair and only complained three times.” 

“Wow. That is a good mood.” Adora glances at the window and admires the dark purple sky. The wedding will be starting soon. “Is everyone here?” 

“More or less. I saw Huntara helping Perfuma with the flowers earlier. And the Erelandians have been here since breakfast; you know how timely they are. A lot of our friends came early, they wanted a glimpse of Angel.” 

Adora can’t blame them for that. Even Catra has a hard time tearing herself away from the baby, and they both get to see her whenever they want. “With good reason. She’s adorable.” 

Glimmer’s determined expression softens, and her grip on Adora’s hair grows lighter. It’s sweet how much she loves her and Bow’s daughter. “She is.” Her daze only lasts a moment, though. She immediately straightens up and sets the towel to the side, pulling Adora to her vanity. “Today’s about you. And I practiced about twenty different updos on Perfuma so, I’m at the ready.” 

“Actually…” Adora musses with her hair and looks in the mirror. “I think I want to wear it down. Is that okay?” 

“Of course it’s okay. This is your day, silly.” Glimmer picks up a hairbrush and begins to gently tug it through Adora’s hair. “You’re going to look beautiful, too.” 

That may be, but Adora knows she won’t hold a candle to Catra. No sooner does she think about it, butterflies crowd in her stomach. It’s only been a few hours since she’s last seen her, but she can’t help but be excited to see her again, in her wedding attire.

She wonders if Catra is excited too, if she’s thinking about her. If she’s nervous, or calm as can be. Glimmer continues to chatter and keep her engaged the entire time she helps her get ready, and it helps keep Adora’s mind away from her future wife. If Glimmer wasn’t here, there’s a high likelihood that she would steal away to the room Catra’s in and join her. 

When she’s dressed and her hair is done, Glimmer steps away, proud of her handiwork. “Perfect. Catra won’t be able to keep her eyes off you. Which, you know, isn’t too different from the usual, but still!” 

Adora agrees. “I think I’m missing something, though,” she says, picking up the diadem from where she’d left it on the bed, slowly sliding it into place. “There. How do I look?” she asks, doing a little twirl in her dress. She’s allowed to be silly today.

“You look so beautiful, Adora.” Glimmer wraps her arms around her friend, squeezing tight. “I know it might not usually mean much to you, but it’s true. I’m so happy that you guys are getting married today.” 

Adora bites the inside of her cheek to keep the tears from rising; she knows that she’ll need them later, and she doesn’t want to ruin Glimmer’s work too early. But she’s happy too. 

* * *

By the time everything is set and good to go, the stars are just beginning to poke out in the sky. Adora catches a glimpse of them as Glimmer and her head to the gardens. The wedding will start, soon. Everyone is probably sitting, waiting for them to make their arrival. Excitement courses through her veins, encouraging her to walk faster through the dimly-lit halls of the castle. Glimmer says something beside her, but at the moment, Adora is far too focused on finding Catra to hear her. 

The music in the gardens grows louder the closer they get to the entrance. A soft tune plays, quiet enough so as not to distract from the chatter of their many guests. She recognizes the song—the squad first heard it on Rhaesa, one of the planets they’d visited on their inter-planetary road trip. Catra must have invited the musicians to come and play tonight; she would thank her for that, later. 

Before they turn the corner, Adora catches a glimpse of the setup through the windows and stops in her tracks. The garden is completely transformed from what it looked like just a day before. None of the princesses allowed her to sneak a peek as they set it up, and now Adora sees why. It’s breathtaking. 

A golden trellis stands at the end of the garden, covered in ice crystals and roses redder than she’s ever seen. The night sky shines through a sheer net that covers their guests, almost like a tent, and flickering fairy lights illuminate the glow on everyone’s faces. Perfuma must have spent weeks planning the flower displays, for every available inch is adorned in beautiful, lush arrangements that she can smell even from her vantage point. She makes a note to ask Perfuma about the types of flowers she used later in the night. 

“This is all for us?” Adora manages to say, grabbing a fistful of her dress and balling it tightly. 

Glimmer removes her hand, and smiles in encouragement.“Of course it is. Don’t you know how much we love you?”

“I did, but…” she trails off, unable to find the words to accurately express the way she’s feeling. It’s a lot to take in. She never imagined that anything could look this beautiful, and it’s all for them. “Thank you. It’s incredible.”

“Of course. You deserve it, Adora.”

“What’s taking you guys so long?” Catra steps into the hallway and leans against a wall, shaking her head. “I’ve been waiting here forever. People are going to start thinking you left me at the altar.” 

Both of them jump at the surprise, but Glimmer is the first to spring into action. “Don’t even joke about that,” she scolds, walking in Catra’s direction. “You haven’t been waiting that long.” 

If Adora was speechless before, seeing Catra dressed in her white suit renders the mere notion of language out of her brain. The entire room seems to freeze, and she doesn’t even hear whatever banter Catra and Glimmer have going on. All she sees is her future wife, elegant in white, looking like the most beautiful person she’s ever seen in her life. 

“Catra,” she eventually manages to say, because her name may as well be seared into her brain. 

The feline stops arguing with Glimmer and looks up as Adora calls her name. She must have not taken a good look at her before, because her eyes widen and jaw falls slightly agape. Having had a little bit more time to process, Adora closes the distance between them and takes her hands. “You look so beautiful.” 

“Me? Have you seen yourself?” Catra pushes herself on her toes to kiss her. “No one can hold a candle to you.” 

“Are you ready for this? There are a lot of people out there,” Adora warns, rubbing her thumb across Catra’s knuckles. 

Catra, however, is unphased. She just smiles and lightly knocks their foreheads together. “Worried about me?” 

“Always.”

“Well, don’t be. Not today, anyway.” Catra closes her eyes and takes a moment to appreciate the silence. It’s likely the last bit they’ll get for the evening. “I love you, Adora.” 

“I lo—” 

“Save it for the ceremony,” Glimmer interrupts, separating them. “We’re running on a schedule, and in case you haven’t seen, there are a  _ lot _ of people out there.” She takes each of their hands before they can argue, leading them to the entrance of the garden. Bow is waiting for them, pacing with Angel in his arms. When he spots them, relief fills his features and he scrambles over to meet them. 

“Where have you been?” he squeaks. “Everybody’s been asking if you’re alright, and Sea Hawk was about to start singing.”

Catra snorts. “Given that the crowd is full, I take it you managed to convince him otherwise.”

“Barely.” Bow hands the baby over when Glimmer reaches for her, and then wraps his arms around the group. “It’s our last Best Friend Squad hug before you guys become wives. Feels weird. Are you sure you don’t want Glimmer and I to walk you down the aisle?” 

Glimmer nods, using her free hand to smooth down Catra’s hair and recoiling when she slaps it away. “The offer’s still open.”

“We’re sure,” Adora answers for the both of them, gently pulling herself and Catra out of the hug. “Go ahead and sit, we’ll be out in a minute.” 

“Okay.” Bow and Glimmer stop to give each of them a kiss, one that Catra pretends to wipe away when Glimmer’s looking, but leaves untouched when their backs are turned and they leave. 

“So much drama,” Catra chuckles, watching them take their seat before glancing at the golden arch. “If something was wrong, Melog would be acting weird.” 

Adora joins her in looking out the window, and sure enough, Swift Wind and Melog both wait for them in the arch. “You have a point.” The music changes tune and picks up in volume, signaling that it’s time. “Ready?” she asks once again, holding her hand out for Catra to take. 

Not a moment passes before Catra grips it tight. “Like you wouldn’t believe.” 

Together, they open the doors and walk down the aisle, hand in hand. They pass their friends, people they’ve both hurt and helped, allies and mentors. Adora helps Catra up the couple of steps to the arch, and the music stops. Wrong Hordak and Micah stand behind them, both wearing expressions with varying degrees of elation. 

“Brothers!” Wrong Hordak declares, greeting everyone. “Welcome to what I understand is a very joyous occasion! Two of my closest brothers, Adora and Catra, have decided to deepen their union with their friends and family in attendance, and later there will be cake.” 

While he goes on, sharing all his newly learned information about weddings, Catra leans close to whisper in Adora’s ear. “Great idea letting Wrong Hordak officiate. He’s so happy.” 

Adora stifles a giggle behind a cough, suddenly aware that all eyes are on them. She needs to appear formal, if only for a few minutes. 

Micah rests a hand on Wrong Hordak’s shoulder, gently guiding him back to the ceremony. If he lets the clone continue, they’ll be here for hours. “Thank you all for coming,” he says, like he’s done several times before. “Today, we all gather to celebrate Adora and Catra’s union as wives, deepening their bond to each other and sharing their love with those important to them.” 

When he finishes speaking, he says something quietly in Wrong Hordak’s ear, and the clone nods eagerly. “Yes, yes! Right. Do you both have words you wish to exchange with each other?” 

This earns him a blank look, to which Micah gently chuckles. “Your vows,” he clarifies. 

“Oh, right. Yes. I have them,” Adora says, turning her attention back to Catra. 

She looks so beautiful, standing there, waiting for her to speak. Adora takes a second to savor it, remembering every detail of how Catra looks right then and there, just for her.

“We’ve been through so much together,” she starts, her voice wavering only slightly under the pressure. “But today, we begin a new journey together. Today’s the day where we move from partners, to wives, and I am so happy to be taking that step with you. You’re my best friend, the person who has seen me at my best and my worst, and braved through it all.”

She stops to take a deep breath, and squeezes Catra’s hands. “Today, I make you these promises. I promise to always be by your side. I promise you that I’ll never leave, and that you’ll always have a safe home to return to. More than anything, I promise you a life together, full of adventure, and challenges, and most of all, love.” Adora picks up Catra’s hands and kisses them. “I love you, Catra. And I will always love you, from now until the end of time.” 

Tears trickle down Catra’s cheeks, and Adora is quick to catch them with her fingers, wiping them away. Once her face is dry, Adora resumes holding Catra’s hands, encouraging her to go on. 

“I have something too,” Catra says thickly, clearing her throat. “I’m not good with words,” she admits, giving the crowd an apologetic look. “Especially not in front of others.”

From the third row, Scorpia cheers loudly. “You got this, Wildcat!” After Scorpia speaks, Melog mewls by her side and nudges her leg with their head.

Catra’s ears perk from the encouragement, and she nods, looking back into Adora’s eyes. “For a long time, I thought that if I stopped loving you, I would get stronger. Now I know how stupid that was, because loving you, and  _ being _ loved by you has made me stronger than I ever thought possible. Every day together is the best day of my life, because I get to spend it loving my best friend. So today, I promise you that I’ll always try to do better than I did the day before. I promise to hold your hand in both darkness and light, no matter how easy or hard it may be. You’re my everything, Adora, and I promise to love you, more and more every day, from now until the end of time.”

Work Hordak sniffles and leans against Micah, his hand over his heart. “Such beautiful words, Brothers. Is it time for them to be married?” he asks, looking to Micah for approval. 

The older man laughs good-naturedly and nods. “Yes, I believe it is. Marriage on Etheria is a sacred tradition, going back thousands of years…” 

As he goes on with the official speech, Adora leans her forehead on top of Catra’s, savoring her gentle purr. “You’re my heart,” she whispers, so only she can hear. 

“You’ve always had mine,” Catra responds. 

Once Micah finishes explaining the sanctity of marriage, he whispers again in Wrong Hordak’s ear. The clone straightens up and stands in position, ready to do his official duty. “Adora, repeat after me. I, Adora, take you, Catra to be my wife.”

Adora lifts her head off Catra’s. “I, Adora, take you, Catra, to be my wife. My equal, someone I promise to love and cherish from now until the end of time.” She grins, nudging Catra’s shoulder. “Now you.” 

Not to be outdone, Catra wipes away any lingering tears and clears her throat. “I, Catra, take you, Adora, to be my wife. My partner, and my best friend, the person I promise to hold and love from now until the end of time.”

“Showoff.”

“Whatever, you love me.” 

The guests titter with laughter, all in various stages of emotion. Sea Hawk and Bow both hold each other, blubbering full on. Glimmer and Mermista both shed tears, but hurriedly wipe them away. Scorpia clutches hands with both Perfuma and Entrapta, unable to be happier for their friends. Frosta looks mildly entertained, and Spinerella and Netossa couldn’t be prouder. 

Wrong Hordak claps his hands excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. “The brides may kiss and be married!” 

Adora doesn’t give Catra the chance to make the move. She grabs her wife by her waist and dips her into a kiss, loving every second of it. She knows that she’s probably never going to hear the end of it, but she doesn’t care. Today she wants to instigate. Catra can’t be too mad about it, because she laughs into the kiss and cups Adora’s cheeks.

A familiar warmth blooms inside Adora’s chest, but she doesn’t give it too much attention. The crowd bursts into applause, and when she’s had her fill, she breaks away, breathing hard. Something’s different, though. Catra’s face is plum-red, and Swift Wind roars beside her in laughter. 

“What happened?” she asks, unable to make sense of all the excitement. 

“You transformed into She-Ra,” Catra notes. “Guess she couldn’t stay away.” 

Adora blushes and de-transforms herself. “Clearly. But today’s our day.” Without waiting for an answer, she leads Catra back down the aisle, hardly able to dodge the shower of sparkles and flower petals that everyone throws at them. The music picks up again, and people head towards the reception, but Adora pulls Catra to their training spot. Just for a moment. 

“Why are we here?” Catra asks. “Everyone will want to congratulate us.” 

“I know,” Adora agrees. “And they will. But I wanted you to myself, just for a second.” 

Catra nods and strokes Adora’s cheek. “Okay. Whatever you want.”

Both of them stand there, away from the flowers and the lights and the people. Instead, they’re surrounded with their various training weapons, swords and whips and sticks, and it feels just as magical. 

“Did Wrong Hordak say something about cake earlier?” 

“I think so.” Truth be told, Adora doesn’t remember. All she remembers is Catra. A thought pops into her head, and she bounces a little bit, giddy with the thought. “Hey, you know what would be cool? I could cut the cake with She-Ra’s sword.”

Catra mulls over the thought and then laughs.“You’re such—”

“An idiot, I know.”

“Actually, I was going to say genius.” Catra takes her hand again, nodding towards the party. “Come on, let’s go back. I want to dance with you.” 

Adora lets her take the lead. “Promise you’ll stick around this time?” 

Catra turns back, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. “Always and forever.”

* * *

_ Hand in my hand _

_ Together we’ll stand _

_ Under the stars _


End file.
